Quick wit and charm can only impress your mother-in-law so much. Check out these surefire ways to make the in-laws love you like you’re their own!
In this article:
- Dress to Impress
- Smell Nice
- Groom Properly
- Don’t Talk About Politics or Religion
- Don’t Cling to Your Wife
- Encourage Small Chats
- Ask About Their Hobbies
- Set Up a Date With Your Mother-in-Law and Your Own Mother
- Ask for Advice
- Keep an Open Mind
- Do Impressive Things
11 Foolproof Ways to Make Your Mother-in-Law Love You
1. Dress to Impress
Everyone knows how big of a deal the first impression is. If you show up at your future wife’s house wearing a dirty pair of pants and your old boots, both your father-in-law and mother-in-law just might kick you out.
You don’t have to buy a new set of clothes every time you meet her parents. Just make sure to wear a well-ironed shirt, clean pair of pants, and nice pair of shoes.
Also, before meeting up with your in-laws, do a bit of research on where you’re going and what the event’s theme is. Do your homework and you won’t have to worry about being under- or overdressed for any occasion.
2. Smell Nice
Imagine you’re at the dinner table with your wife and her family when all of a sudden your sister-in-law says “What’s that smell?” Words will never fully describe how embarrassing that would be. So you don’t turn off your in-laws with unbearable body odor. Make sure to follow a complete guide on how to smell nice.
First, always shower before meeting up with her family. In fact, try to make a habit out of showering before leaving for any event. It can’t be that hard.
Second, use deodorant. Try to find a brand that works well with your body chemistry. Do a little experimenting to determine whether to use scented or unscented ones. Third, use high-quality cologne. Invest in a bottle of some high-grade, long-lasting perfume that smells good on you.
3. Groom Properly
You can’t just slap on some aftershave and head off to meet your mother-in-law. If you truly want to make an impression, you need to up your grooming game.
Apart from the usual haircuts and shaves, take some extra time to trim your nose hair and eyebrows. You may not know it, but these steps can either make or break your overall appearance. Trust us when we say that no woman, young or old, wants to talk to a guy with hair sticking out of his nose.
Also, add in some extra steps to your facial cleansing routine. If you don’t moisturize or exfoliate, you should definitely start doing that. Clear, fair skin is something both men and women should aim for—and something a mother-in-law will appreciate.
4. Don’t Talk About Politics or Religion
Perhaps the number one rule in creating positive small talk is to never bring up politics or religion. These are sensitive topics that can easily turn into an extremely heated debate between people with different beliefs. It doesn’t matter if you and your mother-in-law have the same or opposing beliefs. Try to avoid these topics as much as possible.
Although there will be times when the in-laws brush over these subjects. Perhaps something comes on the news and your brother-in-law makes a comment. If they’re not asking for your opinion, try not to say anything. If they do ask about what you think, then answer as honestly and politely as you can.
Note: While we want to avoid arguments on these topics as much as possible, remember that you can still voice out your opinions. Just take note of your tonality, words, and body language. Also, try to read the room’s atmosphere before you do a 10-minute speech on Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto.
5. Don’t Cling to Your Wife
Try to resist the urge to kiss and cuddle your wife in front of your in-laws. There’s a time and place for everything—and a dinner with your mother-in-law isn’t exactly the right setting to whisper sweet nothings into your wife’s ear.
Of course, don’t ever make references regarding your sex life. It’s weird and no one in the room really wants to talk about it. Not even your brother-in-law will give you a high five over that.
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6. Encourage Small Chats
Rather than trying to entertain her entire family as a group like some stand-up comedian, talk to them one-by-one. Small chats promote intimacy and allow you to get to know your in-laws personally. For example, you can start by chatting up your mother-in-law. Talk about whatever you feel she may take interest in. If she’s tech-savvy enough, a peek at her Facebook profile will give you an idea if she’s the wine-night type or the knits-all-night kind of older woman.
7. Ask About Their Hobbies
Perhaps the quickest way to get anyone to like you is to take an interest in their hobbies. Ask some gently probing questions to determine what your mother-in-law’s hobbies are. Once you find out what they are, gather every single piece of stock knowledge you have on the topic and engage in conversation.
Of course, don’t ever pretend to know something when you clearly don’t. In fact, you don’t necessarily need to share the same interests. All you have to do is to take interest in what their hobbies are and show that you care enough to ask them about it.
For example, if your mother-in-law starts talking about gardening, don’t respond by naming some random seeds you found in your garden. Rather, take this opportunity to learn more about what gardening is and why she’s in love with it. Overall, it’s best if you’re genuinely interested in what your mother-in-law is talking about.
8. Set Up a Date With Your Mother-in-Law and Your Own Mother
After asking about your mother-in-law’s interest, take a step back to remember if she has anything in common with your own mother. If she does, then invite her to go out with you, your mom, and your wife.
The point here is to make your mother-in-law feel that you genuinely want to spend time with her. Also, if your mother-in-law and mother don’t have anything in common, just set up a generic outing everyone will enjoy. Simple activities such as shopping, getting a spa treatment, or grabbing coffee will score you some major brownie points.
9. Ask for Advice
Are you going through some kind of problem right now? Apart from talking to your own family about it, try asking your mother-in-law for some advice. This tip actually hits two birds with one stone. First, your mother-in-law will feel special knowing you came to her for her opinion on the matter. Second, getting an outsider’s point of view may help you look at your problems objectively.
Note that you don’t necessarily need to do this if you’re not comfortable with it. We understand that it may be awkward to share some of your problems with your mother-in-law. It also goes without saying that the problem shouldn’t be about her daughter—your wife is going to skin you alive if you pull this move.
10. Keep an Open Mind
When it comes to adjusting to your new family’s interests, make sure to maintain an open mind. Whether it’s trying out your mother-in-law’s unusual casserole or going on an intense camping trip with your father-in-law, you should always prepare yourself mentally and physically.
A good way to go about this is to actually take interest in what you’re doing. Your in-laws will know if you’re only going along for the sake of it. Plus, even if they don’t find out, you don’t really want to fool them just to gain their respect. Who knows, you might actually enjoy the same things they do.
11. Do Impressive Things
If you want to impress your mother-in-law, then you need to do something that’s actually impressive. Instead of coming up with fake accomplishments and bragging about them, do something for yourself and your wife that’ll stun the in-laws. Not only will this impress your mother-in-law, but it will mold you into a better man.
Remember: you’re not striving for greatness to gain approval. Rather, you’re going to do your best to become an impressive individual your in-laws, family, and of course, wife can be proud of.
What happens when in-laws play truth or dare? Check out this video by Cut:
Your mother-in-law doesn’t have to be the stereotypical monster-in-law most guys fear. All you really need to do is show your in-laws that you’re genuinely interested in becoming a part of their family. Remember: you didn’t just marry your wife; you married her whole family. So if you want to live a happy, problem-free life, try to stay on their good side as much as you can.
What’s in your list of do’s and don’ts when meeting your mother-in-law? Share them with us in the comments section down below!
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